


Minne

by Gilrael



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: All NSFW parts are skippable and marked, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Royalty, EnnoTana Week 2018, Everything else is T rated, Falling In Love, First Time, Fluff and Angst, Getting Together, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Only Chapter 5 has parts that are NSFW, University, Weddings, it's an OC whose death is referenced all the hq kids are safe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-01
Updated: 2018-08-06
Packaged: 2019-06-06 22:55:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15205292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gilrael/pseuds/Gilrael
Summary: Minne, noun: courtly love in Middle High German courtly tradition~~~In his last year of high school, Prince Ennoshita Chikara III of Karasuno runs away from his duties and right into the arms of Tanaka Ryuunosuke, a boy who works at a flower shop. But can a relationship between a commoner and a prince really work out?~~~Written for EnnoTana week 2018!





	1. Runaway prince

**Author's Note:**

> I know I'm technically early but it's midnight 1 August where I live so I don't care because it's EnnoTana week again! This time I managed to combine all the days into one multi-chapter Royal/Commoner AU. The story takes place in the fictional kingdom of Karasuno (culture-wise it's kinda like modern Japan but with royalty that actually has powerlol). Special thanks to Nana for beta reading and yelling about this AU with me <3  
> I decided to leave the fic unrated because only Chapter 5 warrants a rating higher than T, and even then, the NSFW part is entirely skippable and you won't miss out on the plot if you don't want to read the smut (or are underage). Rest assured, though, that I will warn you again in the author's notes of that chapter on day 5 of EnnoTana week.  
> With all of that rambling out of the way, I hope you guys enjoy this fic :)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which they meet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: Spring – Red – Flowers

Prince Ennoshita Chikara III of Karasuno was aware that running away was an incredibly stupid idea. The entire kingdom knew his face, it had been plastered all over the tabloids from the day he was born – media attention came with the territory of being a prince, after all – so there was no way he would go undetected for long. But no one had ever asked him if he wanted any of this. And he honestly didn't. He didn't want the cameras, he didn't want the state dinners and the endless meetings with the council of elders. All of that came with _responsibility_.

Chikara was barely able to take responsibility of his boarding school's student council, let alone advise his half-brother and _future king_ Prince Sawamura Daichi II on policy, which were both positions he had not volunteered for. The teachers had just assumed that Chikara would want to follow his older brother's footsteps and put him on the ballot as soon as he was eligible for the position in his third year of high school. And for some inexplicable reason, people had actually _voted for him_. Hisashi said that it was because Chikara was a good leader; Chikara suspected that people were just too scared to vote for anyone else, not wanting to lose favour with the royal family. And as for becoming his brother's advisor, that was just one of those age-old traditions. The firstborn child inherits the throne, the second becomes advisor to the monarch and the youngest children take on diplomatic functions. That was just the way the world worked, and Chikara had no say in it.

No. He'd never agreed to any of this, and he wasn't going to put up with it any longer. So he stuffed a bunch of clothes and toiletries into his school-issued backpack, waited until Hisashi was in the shower, and sneaked out of their room. Not that he wasn't allowed to leave the dorm or anything, but Hisashi would've talked Chikara out of this. Hisashi might have been one of Chikara's best friends, but he was also sworn to the crown, and he wasn't going to jeopardise his position as the prince's future aide by being complicit in Chikara's stupid plan.

Passing the doorman at the front gate of the dorm, Chikara put on his best poker face. He nodded politely in acknowledgement as the doorman took off his hat and bowed, heaving a sigh of relief when the man didn't ask him any questions about where he was going.

It was probably a good thing that the townsfolk were so used to seeing their prince stroll around the town centre on weekends. Usually, Hisashi and Kazuhito would be with him, but since they were technically just commoners, nobody paid them any mind. This allowed Chikara to walk all the way to the train station without anybody bothering him. There, his first order of business was to go to the bathroom where he mussed up his hair and exchanged his school uniform for jeans and a hoodie. It wasn't a perfect disguise or anything, but at least he wouldn't stand out as much without the expensive blazer and slacks. With that out of the way, he bought a ticket and got on a train.

Chikara's plan was to get off at the fourth station – close enough for him to still know his way around and far enough away that they wouldn't find him immediately – and then go to a small guest house he'd come across online. It took him a while to find it, but once he did, he wasn't disappointed.

 _Sakanoshita Inn_ was small and relatively far away from any of the important sights of the capital, thus making it the perfect spot for Chikara to hide away until he'd figured out what to do next. Pushing open the door, the first thing Chikara noticed was the smell – wood polish, tobacco and coffee. There was nobody behind the front desk, just a sign that said: “Please ring the bell for service.”

Tentatively, Chikara pushed down on the metal bell and waited.

“Be there in a second!” someone yelled, and a moment later, a man with bleached hair that he held pushed back with hair bands appeared in the doorway behind the front desk. “Welcome to _Sakanoshita Inn_ , what can I do for you?”

Chikara squared his shoulders and put on a friendly smile, the one he usually reserved for the press. “I wanted to ask if you have any vacancies.”

The receptionist lifted a single eyebrow as he scrutinised Chikara's face. “May I see your ID, please?”

Swallowing hard, Chikara got out his wallet, presenting the receptionist with his ID.

“Okay,” the man said, drawing out the syllables and crossing his arms in front of his chest. “Why does Prince Ennoshita Chikara III want to check in at my inn on a school night?”

“Don't tell anyone that I'm here,” Chikara said, trying to put as much authority into his voice as possible, but the receptionist wasn't fazed.

“And what's in it for me, _Your Highness_?”

Chikara didn't like the way this guy talked to him at all. He wasn't used to being treated like this.

“I have money. A-and you'll be in my favour once I'm advisor to the king.” Not that Chikara planned on ever taking on that title, but this guy didn't need to know that.

“Yeah, right,” the receptionist laughed and opened a small cabinet that contained a bunch of keys. “Keep your money and forget about me as soon as you're out of here, Your Highness. I don't plan on ever getting involved with politics.”

He threw one of the keys at Chikara, who snatched it out of the air at the last moment.

“This opens the last door to the right,” the receptionist said, pointing at the stairs. “Breakfast is served between seven and nine, dinner's at six.”

“Thank you very much, erm...” Chikara hesitated. He had no idea what this guy's name was, but he also didn't want to appear rude after he'd been shown such generosity. Luckily, the receptionist seemed to be able to read his mind.

“Ukai. Ukai Keishin.”

“Thank you very much, Ukai-san.”

“I'd say thank you for choosing to stay at my inn, but this situation smells like trouble,” Ukai-san said, lighting up a cigarette. “Don't blame me if one of the other guests rats you out, Your Highness.”

 

***

 

Late spring was Ryuu's favourite part of the year. The sakura trees might not be in bloom anymore, but the rest of nature was beginning to awaken. Birds were chirping, flowers blooming and the sun bathed everything in a pleasant warmth before summer bludgeoned everyone over the head with its heat.

“Ryuu? Can you please bring in the displays we have outside? It's almost time for closing,” Saeko-nee said as she put away her pruning shears.

“I'm on it!”

Helping out at his sister's flower shop after school had long since become routine for Ryuu. He liked working with plants and looking up their meanings in Saeko-nee's old _hanakotoba_ book. It was also a good chance to increase his allowance, so he wasn't going to complain even when Saeko-nee would make him do all the heavy lifting.

As he stepped outside, Ryuu noticed someone kneeling in front of a bouquet of dark-red gerbera daisies. He was about to greet the potential customer, but the words got stuck in his throat as the guy turned his face up to him.

Ryuu had long since accepted that he had a type, and he'd also come to accept that this type happened to include guys sometimes. This was one such case. With his dark hair that looked as soft as a cat's fur, a cute button nose and heavily lidded, mysterious eyes, this young man had Ryuu's heart beating at top speed.

“Sorry, I was just looking,” the stranger said, quickly getting up.

“N-no need to apologise!” Ryuu blurted out immediately, realising that he must've stared at the guy for at least half a minute. “I was just about to bring the flowers inside, but we're still open for another fifteen minutes.”

“I was just walking past and noticed the pretty flowers, really.” The stranger laughed nervously, making Ryuu wonder what it would sound like when he laughed with joy. “What are those called?”

He pointed at the bouquet he'd just been admiring.

“Oh, those are gerbera daisies,” Ryuu explained immediately. “In general they stand for mysterious beauty, but the red ones symbolise passion.”

“That seems fitting.” The stranger graced Ryuu with a tiny little smile that made Ryuu's heart melt. “Well, I'll leave you to your work then.”

But Ryuu couldn't let him leave like that. Before he knew it, he'd already grabbed one of the stranger's wrists.

“Wait! I... I didn't catch your name.”

The stranger's eyes went wide as he let his gaze travel from Ryuu's hand up to his face.

“Erm, I'm Chikara.” Ryuu’s breath caught in his throat at being graced with the young man’s given name. _Chikara._ Named after the prince then. A lot of people their age were. “And you?”

“Oh!” In his haste to find out Chikara's name, Ryuu had forgotten to introduce himself. “I'm Ryuunosuke, but most people call me Ryuu.”

He hoped it wasn’t too forward of him to presume that Chikara would be calling him by his given name as well.

Chikara smiled again, his cheeks flushed red.

“It was nice chatting with you, Ryuu,” he said, carefully extricating his wrist from Ryuu's grip. “I'll see you around.”

“Yeah. See you.”

Then Chikara turned around and left. Ryuu watched him go, wondering whether this meeting had been fate until his sister's voice ripped him out of his musings.

“What are you doing? I told you to bring in the flowers, didn't I?”

 

***

 

Chikara could barely believe that the young man at the flower shop hadn't recognised him, not even after he'd introduced himself. Admittedly, he'd left out his family name, but even then Ryuu should've been able to put two and two together. Not that Chikara minded. It might be nice to be treated like a regular person without the difference in status getting in the way for once.

And so Chikara found himself peering through the shop's windows the next day, hoping to catch a glimpse of Ryuu. When their gazes met through the glass, Chikara finally understood what people meant when they said that they had butterflies in their stomach. Ryuu waved, indicating that Chikara should come inside.

“Didn't think I'd see you again so soon,” Ryuu said, grinning widely. Chikara could feel his ears heat up.

“Yeah,” he said, sheepishly scratching the back of his neck and looking around the shop to avoid making eye contact with Ryuu. The shop was filled with potted plants, vases with cut flowers in all colours imaginable, and ready-made bouquets.

“Is there anything I can help you with? My sister's out making a delivery, but my bouquets are pretty decent, too,” Ryuu offered.

Technically, Chikara's only reason for coming here had been to talk to Ryuu, but now that he was here he couldn't think of anything he wanted to talk about.

“I... Maybe you could help me find a potted plant,” Chikara said, deciding that they might as well be talking about plants. Ryuu had seemed enthusiastic enough explaining flower meanings to him yesterday. “Something small that's easy to take care of.”

Ryuu's enthusiasm for his job was infectious. He immediately launched into an explanation of the pros and cons of different potted plants. Chikara mostly listened, admiring all the plants Ryuu showed him and enjoying the little gestures and facial expressions that accompanied Ryuu's explanations. By the end of it, Chikara settled on a small succulent plant with red-tipped leaves.

“You should only water it once a week, and put it in a spot where it doesn’t get too much sun,” Ryuu said, carefully transferring the plant from its original decorative pot into a nice clay pot Chikara had picked out. “And in summer you can cut down to watering it once a month or even less.”

“I've never really taken care of a plant, so this seems right up my alley,” Chikara said.

“Well, the name of this variety is 'blushing beauty', so that fits you perfectly, I'd say,” Ryuu commented off-handedly.

The butterflies in Chikara's stomach were aflutter again. Over the years, many of his classmates had attempted to flirt with him, but none of them had ever struck Chikara as sincere because it always felt like they were more enamoured with his title and influence. This, however, was different. Ryuu wasn't trying to suck up to a prince. Ryuu didn't even know _who Chikara was_.

“See? Now you're blushing,” Ryuu said, grinning mischievously.

“No, I'm not,” Chikara muttered, although he could feel the heat rising all the way to the tips of his ears.

“If you say so.” Having transferred the succulent plant into its new pot, Ryuu went over to the cash register to ring up Chikara's purchase.

 

***

 

Ryuu couldn't believe that he'd actually managed to be smooth for once. Usually, his attempts at flirting ended with the other party rolling their eyes at him but Chikara seemed not to mind the cheesiness. When he'd left the shop he'd said, “I'll come by again. To tell you how the plant's doing.”

They developed a bit of a pattern after that. Every evening, when it was time for Ryuu to help Saeko-nee close down the shop, Chikara would come by and chat with Ryuu while he watched him carry around the displays and sweep the floors. They talked about all kinds of stuff, though Ryuu noticed that Chikara got kinda uncomfortable when the topics of school and family came up, so he avoided them, preferring to see Chikara's smile. Sometimes Saeko-nee would join in on the conversations as well, and whenever that happened, Ryuu had to be prepared to be teased by both of them. Chikara's dry humour paired way too well with Saeko-nee's constant need to embarrass Ryuu in front of people he liked.

And that was just the thing. Ryuu _liked_ Chikara. He was fun to be around and had the most adorable smile. He was itching to learn more about him, to spend more time with him until he could finally work up the guts to ask him out. He'd never been too good at this whole romance thing, but Ryuu was determined to do this right.

One week after Ryuu had first met Chikara, they were standing outside of the shop, Chikara leaning against the wall while Ryuu swept the pavement.

“... and that's why you should never attempt to climb a tree while wearing flip-flops,” Ryuu concluded his story, eliciting a chuckle from Chikara.

“My nanny would've never even let me get close to a tree at that age,” Chikara said, shaking his head.

“Nanny?” Ryuu raised an eyebrow. He'd seen Chikara's clothes – all expensive brands even if Chikara didn't necessarily know how to put together a fashionable outfit – so Ryuu had kind of suspected that he was a rich kid, but this seemed to confirm it.

“Erm, yeah. My parents are always kinda busy,” Chikara said, sheepishly looking down at his shoes.

“Hey, at least they cared enough to hire someone to look after you, right?” Ryuu tried to cheer him back up again.

“That's true, I guess...” Chikara mused. “You know I–”

And then suddenly, someone called out his name and Chikara's face turned white as a sheet. Ryuu turned around, seeing a boy in the uniform of a nearby boarding school run towards them.

“Holy shit, Chikara, _where the fuck have you been_?” he asked, panting slightly. “We've been looking for you all over. Hell, the freaking secret service has been involved!”

Ryuu had no idea what was going on, but Chikara was clearly uncomfortable so Ryuu stepped up to the guy and put on his most menacing facial expression.

“Hey, how about you leave Chikara alone, blondie-kun?” he growled.

The guy took a step back, eyes wide.

“Oookay, who is this?” he asked, turning towards Chikara.

“Erm...”

“I'm Tanaka Ryuunosuke, and my family owns this shop,” Ryuu said. “And who do you think _you_ are to be talking to my friend like that?”

“I'm the prince's future aide, that's who I am,” the guy snarled back.

“Hisashi–” Chikara started, a tinge of panic in his voice.

“And why should I care whose aide you are?” Ryuu wanted to know, shoving himself between this Hisashi guy and Chikara in an attempt to shield his friend. “Chikara clearly doesn't want to talk to you.”

“Ryuu, please, he means well. He's my friend,” Chikara finally spoke up, voice shaking. “And Hisashi, please don't yell at him. He doesn't know who I am.”

_Huh?_

“What the fuck? How can he not know the freaking _prince_ ? Especially since his face has been all over the news because he's been _missing for a week_.”

It was like a rug was pulled out from under Ryuu's feet. Behind him stood Prince Ennoshita Chikara III of Karasuno, second son of the queen, and he hadn't noticed. He'd been too blinded by Chikara's pretty eyes to even _think_ about Chikara being anyone else than a regular third-year in high school who just happened to have rich parents.

“Ch-chikara?” Ryuu turned around, hoping that this would all turn out to be a huge misunderstanding.

“I'm so sorry! I would've told you eventually,” Chikara said, his eyes pleading for forgiveness. “I was just so happy that someone seemed to enjoy spending time with _me_ without all this prince bullshit getting in the way. I didn't want to deceive you.”

“Chikara...” Hisashi sighed. “Kazuhito and I never cared about you being a prince, did we?”

“Yes, and I'm grateful,” Chikara replied. “But your parents are members of the council of elders. You guys are so high up the social ladder that you don't _need_ to care.”

Ryuu's heart was bleeding, and not just because his chances of ever getting to date Chikara were proving to be non-existent. There was so much sincerity in Chikara's voice, so much _pain_ ; Ryuu could barely even imagine how it must have felt to have people swarming around you, caring more about improving their own social status than about the person they were using as a stepping stone.

“This won't change a thing,” Ryuu said, surprised by the conviction in his own voice. “You're still my friend. You can come by the shop whenever you want, and I swear Saeko-nee and I won't give you any special treatment. Alright?”

“Thanks,” Chikara croaked out, eyes swimming with unshed tears.

 

***

 

When Chikara and Hisashi arrived at the dorm, Daichi-nii-san was already waiting for him. Chikara quickly shoved the small succulent plant into Hisashi's hands before his brother could hug him and accidentally damage the plant.

“I'm so glad you're safe. We've all been worried sick.”

“I'm sorry,” Chikara said, voice muffled against Daichi-nii-san’s shoulder and very much aware of how much disarray and worry he must have caused. And yet, he couldn't regret his snap decision to run away. For one week, he'd had a taste of freedom, a little bit of normalcy. And maybe one day, Chikara could go back to the flower shop and talk to Ryuu again. But first, he would have to sit out whatever punishment his family and the school deemed adequate to make up for the trouble he'd caused.

 


	2. Caged bird

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which they can't meet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: Summer – Orange – Magic

Chikara was effectively grounded. Technically, the school had only placed him under curfew, but his curfew was so early that he had to go back to the dorm right after the supplementary lessons he had to attend in order to catch up on the school work he'd missed. Weekends were now reserved for meetings with the council of elders, which was probably the worst punishment Chikara's mother could have come up with because the council members all had a tendency to latch onto the most boring detail of any given legislative decision and discuss it for hours at a time. As punishments went, though, Chikara couldn't really complain – even if boredom was about to drive him up the wall. He had caused quite a lot of worry and unrest with his disappearance, and now he had to face the consequences.

At first, Hisashi and Kazuhito had been angry with Chikara for pulling a vanishing act on them. He'd ignored all of their texts, knowing that the police and secret service would probably be able to track his location if he did. But their anger had cooled down rather quickly after they noticed how miserable Chikara was. They were nice enough not to go out without him, spending all their time with him in a futile attempt at making him feel better about the situation. They were his friends, and he loved them like brothers, but they weren't the person he wanted to talk to the most.

Looking back on it, meeting Ryuu had been like a dream. A handsome guy who was Chikara's age and so sweet and so caring couldn't be real. But the tiny potted plant on Chikara's desk was proof that Ryuu existed, constantly reminding Chikara of how Ryuu had implied that he was a “blushing beauty”. That had been such a ridiculous line but also extremely effective at getting Chikara to fall for Ryuu.

Sighing, Chikara brushed a finger over the waxy leaves of the succulent, from the green centre to the red tips. If only Chikara had thought to get Ryuu's number, then he wouldn't have had to suffer like this.

 

***

 

Turning on the TV was like playing Russian roulette. Most of the time it was fine, and Ryuu would heave a sigh of relief, but there was always a chance that some gossipy talk-show host was still trying to milk the story of the prince's sudden disappearance and reappearance, despite the fact that a month had already passed since then. Something about these vultures talking about Chikara like they knew him pissed Ryuu off. What pissed him off even more, though, was that he didn't know all that much about Chikara either. He'd only had one week with him, one measly week that felt like it had happened a lifetime ago, but Ryuu knew one thing these assholes on TV didn't – Chikara wanted to be normal. Why else would he have run away? Why else would he have hidden his true identity from Ryuu and almost cried at the mere thought of Ryuu being angry at him for doing so?

If only Ryuu had a way of contacting Chikara. He knew where he went to school, but the security there was insane. One time, Ryuu had taken the detour on his way home from his own school, hoping to maybe catch a glimpse of Chikara as he walked past, but the high fence and security guard at the gate immediately erased any hope Ryuu might have had.

At one point, Ryuu contemplated writing a letter, but there was no way the secret service didn't screen the prince's correspondence if they were unfamiliar with the sender. The mere thought that someone other than Chikara would read Ryuu's letter was deterrent enough, and so Ryuu settled for waiting.

As weeks turned into two months and the summer heat had the kingdom tight in its grip, Ryuu was about to give up. He doubted that Chikara was staying away out of his own free will, but the royal family probably disapproved of Chikara mingling with commoners, so it was no wonder that Chikara hadn't shown his face at the shop again.

Having already resigned himself to never seeing Chikara again, Ryuu was all the more surprised to see Chikara's friend sitting on a folding chair in a corner of the shop when Ryuu returned from school. Ryuu had since looked the guy up on the internet – Kinoshita Hisashi's mother was one of the democratically elected officials in the council of elders, and he'd been training to become the prince's aide since he was thirteen. Other than that, information on Kinoshita was scarce. It seemed like he had a talent for staying out of the public eye in spite of his prominent position.

“Ah, Ryuu, welcome back,” Saeko-nee said when she spotted Ryuu, who stood frozen in the entrance of the shop. “Kinoshita-kun said he wanted to talk to you.”

“Hey, Tanaka,” Kinoshita said, getting up from the chair.

“Hey...” Ryuu replied lamely, trying to figure out why Kinoshita would want to speak with him. Their first meeting hadn't exactly been pleasant. But he was Chikara's aide, or about to become his aide at least, so maybe he was here to relay a message? It was a possibility, and the hopeless romantic in Ryuu really hoped that that was the case.

“Erm, I'd like to keep this conversation private, so maybe...” Kinoshita hesitated, throwing a glance in Saeko-nee's direction.

“You can use the back room,” Saeko-nee immediately suggested.

Ryuu nodded and made his way there. Kinoshita followed, closing the door behind them.

“So... What do you wanna talk about?” Ryuu asked as he dropped his school bag in the corner of the room.

“Chikara has been miserable,” Kinoshita said without preamble. “He has to be back at the dorm at six o'clock every evening and he's been spending his weekends with the council of elders. It's punishment for missing an entire week of school.”

That explained why Chikara hadn't come to visit Ryuu even once. Part of Ryuu was relieved that Chikara wasn't keeping his distance on purpose, but another part of Ryuu felt bad for the prince.

“Isn't two months of this a bit harsh?” Ryuu asked.

“I think so, too, but our school is very strict. If he wasn't the prince, they would've suspended him. But that's not what I wanted to talk about,” Kinoshita said. “Chikara is well aware that his actions have consequences. He can deal with a curfew and the council of elders. The problem is that he misses you.”

“He... he does?” Ryuu asked, hope and doubt battling inside of him.

“Trust me. When he's not talking about you, he's staring at that plant he bought here and sighing like some fair maiden pining after her knight in shining armour.”

Ryuu was absolutely done for. He was definitely reading way too much into Kinoshita's words, but maybe Chikara had as bad a crush on Ryuu as Ryuu had on him. A guy could dream, right?

“And what am I supposed to do?” Ryuu sighed. “It's not like I can walk up to your school dorms and tell the doorman that I wanna see the prince.”

“But you'd be willing to visit?” Kinoshita asked.

“Of course!” Ryuu replied without having to think.

“And not just because he's a prince?” Kinoshita prodded. It was kinda offensive how much this guy doubted Ryuu's motives, but it was to be expected, wasn't it? There were probably thousands upon thousands of people who would jump at the opportunity to improve their social standing by “befriending” the prince.

“I couldn't care less about his title,” Ryuu scoffed. “I liked him before I knew who he was.”

“I'm still baffled at how you didn't figure that one out on your own.” Kinoshita shook his head, but he was smiling now. “Okay. I know how to get you into the dorms. That is if you have the guts to bend the rules a little.”

 

***

 

 

“If I hear your dad say one more time that we can't pass marriage equality because we need to consider family values, I _will_ flip a table,” Chikara growled, throwing aside the summary of the latest meeting of the council of elders. Kazuhito sighed, picking up the handful of pages that had landed on the floor next to Chikara's desk.

“He's just scared that he'll lose votes with the conservative crowd in the next council elections,” Kazuhito said.

“Doesn't make him less of an arse,” Chikara grumbled, getting up from his chair and flopping down on his bed instead.

Kazuhito shrugged and placed the papers back on the desk. “I'm not saying that he isn't an arse, but he's still my dad.”

Chikara groaned and rubbed his face.

“I'm sorry. I didn't mean to... ugh. I'm just sick and tired of all of this.”

Two weeks into his punishment, Chikara had realised that going to council meetings meant that he could actually try to influence their decisions to some degree. He wasn't yet old enough to actually have a vote, but nobody could stop him from voicing his opinions, only his mother and brother, and both of them had actually been quite happy that he wanted to participate in the discussions at all. After three more weeks, Chikara had actually dared to approach Daichi-nii-san about handing in a proposal for a change in the law that would establish marriage equality. He'd made up some bullshit story about having classmates who are gay and wanting to support them, but he wasn't too sure if Daichi-nii-san had bought that excuse. It wasn't like him to pry, though, so he'd just visited Chikara in the dorm one night to help write the proposal. And now Chikara wanted to punch more than half of the council members for being homophobes. At least his own mother had spoken out in favour of his proposed amendment, but as long as seventy percent of the council were against it, there was nothing she could do.

“It's fine. I get it,” Kazuhito said, sitting down on Hisashi's bed. “I wish he'd grow a spine, but he's stubborn that way.”

“Honestly, though, what is even the point of being royalty if we can't do shit without council approval?” Chikara complained.

“Princes and princesses have a guaranteed seat in the council, and the monarch can veto all council decisions,” Kazuhito reminded him.

“And the council can overturn the veto,” Chikara shot back.

“Only if they have a majority of seventy percent.”

“This conversation is pointless,” Chikara sighed.

“You started it.”

“True.”

Chikara looked around the room, trying to come up with something else to talk about. When his eyes landed on his potted plant, he was overcome by longing. All he really wanted was to lead a normal life with someone like Ryuu by his side. But if he had to live the life of a prince, he at least wanted Ryuu to be in it, and there was just no way Chikara could waltz back into that flower shop after months of not showing his face and still expect Ryuu to treat him like he'd done when they first met.

“Well, I need to get back to my room,” Kazuhito said, looking down at his phone. “I still need to do some homework.”

“Good luck with that,” Chikara mumbled. “By the way, do you know what Hisashi's doing? He said he was going to buy some snacks, like, two hours ago...”

There was something distinctly suspicious about how quickly Kazuhito said “nope” and vanished from the room. Chikara would've followed him and tried to get a proper answer out of him, but he honestly couldn't be bothered at that moment. He was too busy wallowing in his own misery and thinking about how nice it could have been if Hisashi hadn't found him. He’d still visit Ryuu every evening, and they would have fun and laugh together. Maybe Chikara would’ve been able to gather all his courage and ask Ryuu to be his boyfriend. And then they would have kissed and…

A knock on his door put an end to Chikara’s fantasies. He got up from his bed, trying to cool down his glowing cheeks with his cold hands before he opened the door. What he found behind it might as well have been a part of his daydreams.

“Hey,” Ryuu said, his voice cracking slightly as he adjusted his orange tie. And not just any orange tie. A tie that was part of the otherwise black and grey uniform of Chikara’s boarding school.

Chikara was in shock.

“How did you get that uniform, and how did you get in here?”

“Magic,” Ryuu quipped with a nervous grin.

“Magic,” Chikara repeated, blinking confusedly.

“Okay, how about you let me in and I’ll explain,” Ryuu muttered, throwing a slightly paranoid look over his shoulder.

Chikara stepped aside, letting Ryuu enter the room before closing the door.

“Explain.”

“Well… Kinoshita said you weren’t feeling so well, and he thought that I might be able to cheer you up. He brought me one of your uniforms and distracted the doorman so I could sneak past and go up to your room. And he showed me the route you guys use to sneak out at night.”

Of course, Hisashi was behind this. And of course, Hisashi had never shared any such route with Chikara. The traitor. But Chikara was inclined to forgive him. He’d somehow managed to get Ryuu inside the dorm, after all.

Chikara sat back down on his bed, patting the mattress next to him, indicating that Ryuu should join him.

“So… That’s my school uniform you’re wearing?” Chikara asked. He’d wondered why he was missing a spare uniform when the last load of laundry was brought back to his room.

“I think so?” Ryuu shrugged, keeping a careful distance between them as he sat down on the bed. “I’ll return it to Kinoshita once this little adventure is over.”

Chikara didn’t want to be reminded of the fact that this reunion was only temporary.

“I have no idea when they’ll drop the curfew,” he said, wrapping his arms around his knees.

Ryuu nodded sympathetically. “You had the whole country in disarray.”

“With the exception of you,” Chikara reminded him.

“I thought you were glad that I didn’t recognise you,” Ryuu pouted.

“I was. I hate it when people treat me like I’m someone special just because my mum happens to be the queen of Karasuno.”

“You’d still be special to me, even if you were a commoner.”

Chikara’s breath caught in his throat at the sincerity in Ryuu’s voice. Ryuu’s face had turned a deep shade of red that clashed horribly with the orange tie, but to Chikara he was still the most beautiful person he’d ever met. But there was no way Chikara could tell him that, so he just smiled weakly in response.

As silence stretched between them, Ryuu had a look around the dorm room. His eyes immediately lit up when he noticed the succulent on Chikara's desk.

“You've kept the plant!”

“Er, yeah. It...” _...reminds me of you_. Chikara cleared his throat. “It's cute.”

Ryuu got up to have a closer look at the plant, carefully prodding at its leaves. “It still looks healthy.”

“You did tell me not to water it too much, so...” Chikara shrugged. “It's not like I'm actually doing something.”

For a moment, as they started talking about plant care, Chikara felt like he jumped back in time to when he'd run away. It was just so easy to forget all of his troubles when he talked to Ryuu, almost as if Ryuu had cast a spell on Chikara – one that made Chikara relax and smile. They sat together on Chikara’s bed, talking and laughing. Chikara’s heart felt so light, and the familiar butterflies had resumed their fluttering in his stomach.

But of course, the magic couldn't last.

Suddenly, Chikara's phone chimed with a message notification.

 

From: Kinoshita Hisashi

> The supervisor is making his rounds, and he just passed by Kazuhito's room. Tanaka should probably leave now.

 

***

 

The sun was setting as Ryuu climbed on top of a skip behind the dorm so he could jump over the fence undetected. As he landed in the soft grass on the other side, he looked up at the orange sky. He immediately pulled out his phone and took a photo. Before he'd left, Chikara had given him his number and e-mail.

 

To: My Prince

> [image]

> maybe we can watch the sunset together once they drop your curfew

 

From: My Prince

> That would be nice

 


	3. Taking flight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which they are reunited

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: Autumn – Yellow – Kiss

From: Ryuu

> [image]

> I miss you :(

 

Chikara had quickly learnt that whenever Ryuu sent him pictures of flowers, they had meanings. It was probably normal for someone who worked in a flower shop to be familiar with _hanakotoba_ , but Chikara still found it incredibly endearing. This time around, it was a picture of yellow and white camellias, and as Chikara looked up their meanings on the internet, his chest felt too small for his heart.

_Longing. Waiting._

It had been some months since Ryuu had sneaked inside the dorms, and while Chikara had hoped to be able to go see him during the summer holidays, he'd had to go on a diplomatic trip to the Kingdom of Nekoma with Daichi-nii-san. Had Chikara's brother gone to any other country, he'd have been fine on his own, but Prince Kuroo Tetsurou of Nekoma and Daichi-nii-san had yet to shake off their childish rivalry and Chikara was needed as a mediating influence. Karasuno really couldn't afford to have an enemy like Nekoma just because their princes decided it was a good idea to poke and prod at each other's weaknesses.

At least Chikara had been able to stay in contact with Ryuu. He had quickly lost count of the number of silly pictures and text messages they had exchanged, and sometimes when Chikara's duties at school and at the palace were too much to bear, he worked up the courage to call Ryuu. More than once, Chikara drifted off while on the phone with him, lulled to sleep by the low rumbling of Ryuu's voice. Ryuu didn't really know what it was like to have the responsibilities of a prince, but maybe that was why he was so good at cheering Chikara up. He had no qualms about calling out stubborn council members on their bullshit, and always had words of encouragement for Chikara when he needed them.

Sometimes it felt like they were in a long-distance relationship, despite the fact that they both lived in Karasuno City and weren't actually in a relationship. Would Ryuu even be interested in dating Chikara? It's not like they could ever go out in public like a regular couple, since the press would have a field day if they did. A gay prince would make for fantastic headlines, and Chikara didn't think Ryuu would like that kind of media attention.

But they could be friends. And from what Chikara had heard, the headmaster was considering to finally drop the punishment so that Chikara might have the normal curfew of a third-year student again soon.

 

To: Ryuu

> I miss you, too

 

***

 

The pavement in front of the flower shop was covered in yellow leaves that had dropped from the ginkgo trees that were lining the road. As beautiful as autumn could be, Ryuu was always a little annoyed at having to clean all the dead leaves away. At least it wasn't as hot anymore.

“Why don't you sweep the pavement for once?” Ryuu grumbled as Saeko-nee shoved the broom in his hand.

“Because I'm busy finishing orders for _Sakanoshita Inn_ ,” she replied, rolling her eyes. “Maybe I should start deducting every minute you spend complaining from your pay, hm?”

It was probably just an empty threat, but there was no arguing with Saeko-nee.

“I'm going, I'm going,” Ryuu conceded and stepped outside the shop. There was a light breeze outside, blowing around the leaves on the ground.

 _Goddamnit_ , Ryuu thought helplessly, not knowing where to even start with sweeping. Every gust of wind just destroyed all of his work in an instant. Grumbling, Ryuu started removing leaves that got stuck below the little rack they used to display their bouquets, asking himself why autumn had to be like this.

When he got back up from the ground, Ryuu suddenly found himself face to face with the last person he'd expected to see that day.

“Hey,” Chikara said, his silky black hair ruffled by the wind.

Ryuu thought that he finally understood how Chikara must've felt when he'd opened the door of his dorm room and found Ryuu standing in front of it. This was almost too good to be true.

“This isn't a dream, is it?” Ryuu asked, his heart beating loudly in his chest.

“No, this is real,” Chikara confirmed, smiling a little. “No magic involved.”

Ryuu chuckled and took a step forward so he could pull Chikara into a hug.

“What about your curfew?”

“Back to normal,” Chikara said, awkwardly patting Ryuu's back. “Since I'm a third-year, I only have to be in my room by ten.”

“Nice.” Ryuu quickly let go of Chikara, suddenly very aware that he was hugging a prince where everyone could see. “Wanna come inside? I'm sure Nee-san will be happy to see you, too.”

 

***

 

Ryuu had been right when he said that Saeko-san would be happy to see Chikara. Much like her brother, she immediately went in for a hug, ruffling Chikara's hair as she told him off for not showing his face for such a long time.

It was good to be back and a relief to be treated like just another teenager.

“Okay, guys, you know what we're gonna do?” Saeko-san said once she let go of Chikara. “I'm going to head upstairs and prepare a nice dinner while you two close up shop. You guys must have a lot of things to catch up on, right?”

“I wouldn't want to impose on you,” Chikara protested. It wasn't that he didn't want to have dinner with Ryuu and his sister – the problem was that Chikara had never actually been to a friend's house. As a kid, his only playmates had been his brother and the occasional child of a noble family who'd been invited to visit the royal palace. His school education was taken care of by tutors until he followed Daichi-nii-san to a prestigious middle school. Living in the dorms, Chikara had met Kinoshita and Narita, and while they were his dearest friends, he'd never had an opportunity to visit them outside of their dorm rooms. Accordingly, Chikara felt weird about accepting dinner at Saeko-san's flat above the shop.

But Saeko-san was having none of it.

“Just help Ryuu bring the flowers inside and sweep the floors, and we'll be even.”

That was not the issue at all, and Chikara would've argued, but when he stole a glance at Ryuu and saw the hopeful expression on his face, Chikara's mind went blank.

“Please?” Ryuu asked, smiling with such innocent glee that Chikara shoved all of his concerns and insecurities aside.

“Erm, okay,” he said, and before he knew what was happening, Saeko-san was giving him instructions. Having made sure that Ryuu and Chikara were familiar with all of their tasks, Saeko-san went upstairs, leaving the boys alone.

“So... Since the school lifted your punishment, does that mean that you're also done with the council meetings?” Ryuu asked as they carried the last flowers inside.

“No,” Chikara sighed and shook his head. “You remember how I told you that I had written up a proposal for an amendment of the law code? The council is still fighting over it, so I kinda have to continue going to the meetings. At least until they've come to a final decision.”

Ryuu hummed in understanding, setting a particularly large potted plant down on the floor. “What's that law about anyway?”

Heat was rising to Chikara's cheeks and ears. He'd never told Ryuu, had he? It had always seemed like doing so would reveal his biggest secret. Just because the council had bought his white lie about wanting to support his gay classmates didn't mean that Ryuu would be just as obliviously stupid as they were. Daichi-nii-san had seen right through him, and it seemed like Chikara's mother and father had done so as well. Not that they'd ever _said_ anything, but he'd seen it in their eyes, in the sad little smiles his mother threw him during council meetings, and the encouraging pats on the back his father gave him whenever they managed to have dinner together as a family.

“Um... I... It's about marriage equality,” Chikara finally said and immediately tried to change the topic, “Can I have a rag to wipe down the counter?”

“Wait a second,” Ryuu said, going in the back room and returning with a damp rag. “Here.”

“Thanks.” Chikara quickly turned his back on Ryuu as he attempted to clean the work surface next to the cash register.

“So... Marriage equality. You mean, like, gay marriage?” Ryuu asked, returning to the topic Chikara would've preferred to escape.

“Yes,” he said, not daring to look at Ryuu to gauge his reaction. Maybe he'd misread Ryuu's intentions. Maybe he'd never actually tried to flirt with Chikara, and Chikara had been viewing their interactions through rose-coloured lenses.

“It's about time,” Ryuu mused. “Gay couples have been doing the whole adult adoption thing for ages now, so I don't see why we shouldn't be able to get married.”

Chikara froze. Had Ryuu just said, “we”? Ryuu suddenly seemed to have noticed what he'd said as well.

“Oh my god.” Chikara turned around to see Ryuu's face turn white as a sheet. “I mean, not like 'we' as in you and me getting married, but as in 'we' gay people – or bi in my case, I guess? Not that I'm implying that you are...”

“It's fine, Ryuu,” Chikara said, trying to suppress the smile that threatened to take over his face. So he hadn't imagined the flirting, after all. “I am. Gay, I mean.”

“O-oh, good,” Ryuu stuttered, laughing nervously. “If you're done with the counter, I'll lock up, and then we can go upstairs to see what Saeko-nee is cooking for dinner.”

 

***

 

 _Holy shit, so he_ is _gay_ , Ryuu thought as he led Chikara up the stairs to the flat he shared with his sister. Ryuu might have always told himself that he shouldn't get too serious about this stupid crush on a literal prince, but he was still relieved to find out that his situation was slightly less hopeless than it could have been. Not that a relationship with Chikara had suddenly become attainable, but at least Ryuu wasn't pining after a straight guy.

Entering the flat, Ryuu opened his mouth to announce that he'd locked up the shop, but at the sight before him, only a strangled sound left his throat. Saeko-nee had transformed the living room into a scene straight out of one of those romantic films Ryuu pretended to hate. There were candles everywhere, she'd pushed the dining table into the middle of the room, and their usual plastic table mats had been replaced with the fancy ones their parents had given Saeko-nee for her birthday. A beautiful bouquet of flowers and yellow autumn leaves made up the centrepiece of the decoration. Most importantly, however, Saeko-nee had set a table for two.

“Nee-san?” Ryuu asked weakly, trying to process what was going on. “What is this?”

“Dinner will be ready in ten minutes,” Saeko-nee announced, poking her head through the kitchen door and completely ignoring Ryuu's question. “You two just come in and sit down.”

Only now did Ryuu realise that he and Chikara had never gotten further than the entryway. Shaking his head, Ryuu took off his shoes and stepped inside properly.

“I take it that this is not how you and your sister usually have dinner?” Chikara asked, grinning at Ryuu as he followed him to the table.

“I didn't even know we had this many candles,” Ryuu groaned.

Chikara chuckled, so at least one of them was having fun. That was until he, too, realised that there were only two table mats.

“Saeko-san... You are not eating with us?” Chikara asked, his voice tinged with panic. Ryuu couldn't blame him.

“No, I'll be going out to eat with some friends,” Saeko-nee replied from the kitchen.

If a hole had opened up in the ground at that exact moment, Ryuu would've gladly disappeared into it. What had seemed like a great opportunity to spend some more time with Chikara had suddenly turned into the most embarrassing situation Ryuu had ever found himself in. Ryuu saw only one way out of this, and that was to just roll with it. This was a date now – a rather spontaneous one inside Ryuu's own home that nobody had asked for, but a date nonetheless.

“Do you want something to drink? We should have water, grape soda and iced tea,” Ryuu offered, putting on an air of confidence that was only skin deep. One misstep and he'd be ready to disintegrate in shame.

“T-tea,” Chikara choked out, his face as flaming red as Ryuu's felt.

 

***

 

Either Saeko-san was trying to tease Chikara, or she had actually seen right through him. But it didn't really matter. She had put down plates with pasta in front of them and immediately gone out to meet up with her friends, leaving Chikara and Ryuu alone in a candle-lit living room. This was happening, and Chikara couldn't run away from it.

“Well, this is awkward,” Chikara sighed, picking up some pasta with his fork. It was pretty good by Chikara's standards, and he'd eaten at three-star restaurants before. He definitely preferred this pile of noodles over the tiny portions they served at fancy places.

“Trust me, I did not plan this,” Ryuu said. “But it could be worse. At least she didn't decide to throw around rose petals or something.”

That really would have been worse.

“Your sister's cooking is good, though.” Chikara tried to think positively. This situation wasn't unsalvageable.

“Our mum taught us to cook before she let us live on our own,” Ryuu explained. “Next time, I'll cook something for you myself.”

“That sounds nice.”

Somehow that was all it took for them to go back to their usual chatter. They talked about school and their families, about how Ryuu had stayed behind with his sister when his mum and dad moved because of a job offer, about how Chikara held a deep respect for his older brother. And then the conversation circled back around to how Chikara had proposed an amendment for marriage equality.

“So your mother and your brother are both in favour of passing that law, but the council is still going against them?” Ryuu asked, frowning. “Aren't they scared that they'll fall out of favour or something?”

“Didn't you pay attention in history class?” Chikara chuckled. “My great-grandfather King Chikara II decided that the king shouldn't have too much power, so now my mum has to rely on the council to get laws passed.”

“I know, but that seems so weird to me,” Ryuu said, shaking his head. “Why would he give up his power?”

Chikara shrugged. “He never really explained himself. My brother thinks it's because he was scared that people would eventually revolt if they didn't get some kind of say in what happens to the country.”

“But you're actually trying to make things better, and now they are blocking you,” Ryuu complained. “And it's not like they have a valid reason. 'Tradition' is not an argument.”

Chikara agreed with Ryuu wholeheartedly. He'd been trying to run away from tradition for most of his life, more or less successfully. What he was doing right now was unheard of. None of his ancestors had ever been in a relationship with someone of the same gender, and here he was, having a romantic dinner with a guy that made his chest feel all warm and fuzzy. This wasn't what anyone had planned for him. Not that he'd ever have to worry about an arranged marriage, but even if they managed to legalise gay marriage, it wouldn't mean that it was acceptable for him to date a man, let alone marry him. But maybe, just maybe, he could find the courage to do it anyway.

Chikara put down his cutlery and took a deep breath.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead,” Ryuu said and took a bite of pasta.

“Would you ever date someone like me?”

Ryuu almost dropped his fork, catching it at the last second before it touched the ground. Chikara was holding his breath.

“Erm, what do you mean 'someone like you'?”

“Someone famous. Someone from a noble family. A prince or princess,” Chikara explained.

“Well, I'd have to get to know them first. And I probably wouldn't wanna go out in public and hold their hand where everyone can see.” Ryuu laughed nervously. “Damn, for a second I was thinking that you were asking me out...”

“What if I am?” Chikara blurted out, hands clenched around the edge of the dining table.

Ryuu's eyes went wide. “So you are asking me out?”

“Yes?” Chikara's voice cracked. This was a lot more nerve-wracking than he'd ever imagined a confession to be.

“I... Wow.” Chikara wasn't entirely sure if it was just a trick of the flickering candlelight, but it looked like there was a blush rising to Ryuu's cheeks. “You sure you want to date a commoner like me?”

That was the stupidest question Chikara had ever been asked in his entire life.

“You don't care about my status, so why should I care about yours?!” Chikara asked indignantly. “I like you!”

 

***

 

You could've heard a needle drop in the quiet that followed Chikara's words. They echoed in Ryuu's mind, making his heart swell in his chest. This was the best moment of his life, and he had to make sure not to ruin it with a thoughtless response. The one thing Ryuu really wanted to do was to lean over the table, grab Chikara by the collar of his shirt and pull him in for a kiss. But his hands were too shaky, he probably had garlic breath (Saeko-nee always put too much garlic in her tomato sauce), and he would probably end up knocking over the vase. So Ryuu settled for something less dramatic.

“I like you, too,” he said, his voice sounding strange in his own ears. “And I'd love to go out with you. I'd just thought that I'd never have a chance.”

That seemed to have been the right thing to say because Chikara blessed Ryuu with a smile that was so bright and joyful it pierced right through Ryuu's chest.

 _I'm so done for_ , Ryuu thought, placing his hand in the middle of the table with the palm facing up, an unspoken invitation to hold hands that Chikara immediately took advantage of. Chikara's fingers were clammy and cold in Ryuu's hand, but Ryuu didn't mind.

“We'll have to hide this from the press, you know?” Chikara said.

“I don't care,” Ryuu replied, gently squeezing Chikara's hand.

“If this ever gets out, we'll be all over the tabloids,” Chikara added.

“As long as I get to be with you.”

Maybe it was naïve to believe that he'd be able to navigate a media scandal, but holding Chikara's hand in his own, Ryuu was ready to take on the world.

 

***

 

That night, Ryuu insisted on accompanying Chikara to the train station. Chikara was glad for every second he could remain in Ryuu's presence, for every stolen glance and every secretive smile as they walked together. As much trouble as he'd been in after his disappearance, Chikara couldn't regret having run away if it led him to this. He had a boyfriend now, one who liked him for who he was and not for his status.

“I don't wanna say goodbye,” Ryuu complained, slowing down his steps as they approached the train station.

“Same,” Chikara sighed, stopping in front of the station entrance. “But we can meet up whenever now as long as I make it back to the dorm by ten.”

“I know. I'll still miss you, though,” Ryuu mumbled, his lips curling into a sheepish little smile that made the butterfly infestation in Chikara's stomach go wild. Without a second thought, he grabbed Ryuu by the arm, pulling him behind one of the columns at the station entrance.

“Can I kiss you?” Chikara asked around the lump in his throat.

Ryuu seemed stunned for a moment, but he quickly shook off the surprise and nodded. Their noses bumped together as they leaned forward, and it was over way too quickly, but the sensation of Ryuu's lips pressed against Chikara's own seared itself into Chikara's memory, making him smile even as he returned to the dorm.

 


	4. Future plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which they study

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: Winter – Green – College

“You have to promise – no, _swear_ that you will not tell anyone about this,” Ryuu insisted, looking around the schoolyard to make sure that absolutely nobody could listen in on his conversation with Noya. Ryuu had cancelled on his best friend one too many times in favour of a sudden opportunity to meet Chikara, and now he was being cornered and questioned.

“Hey, we've been friends since we started high school, right?” Noya said firmly. “You can trust me.”

Ryuu would've trusted Noya with his life, but this particular secret wasn't only his to keep. Chikara may have said that he didn't mind if Ryuu's friends knew as long as they were capable of keeping their mouths shut, but Ryuu hadn't planned on putting his friends to the test.

Ryuu took a deep breath and pulled out his phone. He'd buried the selfie they took on his last date with Chikara behind way too many folders, just in case, but his fingers tapped through them all by muscle memory.

“I have a boyfriend,” Ryuu whispered, turning the phone so Noya could see the screen.

“You're shitting me,” Noya said, blinking at the photo. “This is not who I think it is.”

“It is,” Ryuu mumbled, sheepishly scratching the back of his neck. “I didn't recognise him when I first met him, though.”

“Since when?” Noya asked, looking up at Ryuu with amazement shining in his eyes.

“You remember how he ran away last spring? He spent all of his evenings talking to me at Nee-san's shop,” Ryuu explained. “But we only started dating a month ago.”

Noya shook his head and laughed. “Holy shit, Ryuu. This guy is totally out of your league. I'm not even sure that there's a single person in all of Karasuno who is in the same league as him.” Before Ryuu could take offence, Noya already had patted his shoulder and added, “Well done. You landed the biggest catch. I can't even blame you for cancelling on our plans.”

“I'm sorry about that,” Ryuu sighed. “I just don't get to see him all that often.”

Noya hummed sympathetically. “Sounds rough. It'll probably get worse after high school, huh? He'll probably be going to the Royal University of Karasuno, so he's not even going to be in the same city as you anymore.”

It was like Noya had poured a bucket of cold water over Ryuu's head. At the beginning of the year, when the teachers had first handed out the career aspiration sheets, Ryuu had put down a university a couple towns over as his first choice. He'd never been good at studying, so he'd chosen a school with entrance requirements he could reach without putting in too much effort. At the time, he hadn't had a boyfriend, though, and Chikara's responsibilities as the prince of Karasuno were bound to increase once he was out of high school.

“Fuck.” Ryuu slumped his shoulders. “Do you think it's too late to change my first choice of university?”

  
  


***

  
  


From: Ryuu

> I hope you don't mind but I kinda had to tell my friend Noya about us

  
  


To: Ryuu

> I already told you that I don't mind your friends knowing

> Are we still on for Thursday evening?

  
  


From: Ryuu

> sorry ;_; I kinda have to go to cram school

  
  


Chikara frowned. They hadn't talked much about their career plans yet. Not that it was really necessary in Chikara's case. The whole country knew that he'd be going to the royal university, studying political science and then becoming Daichi-nii-san's official advisor. But from the times the topic of university had come up, Chikara had gathered that Ryuu would be studying business management at a smaller university. Did he really have to go to cram school to pass those entry exams?

  
  


To: Ryuu

> Since when do you need cram school?

  
  


From: Ryuu

> I'll tell you the next time I see you

> are you free on Sunday?

  
  


Chikara sighed and had a look at his schedule. He could probably convince Daichi-nii-san to reschedule their dinner meeting for another time. 

  
  


To: Ryuu

> I'm not making any promises, but I'll try to free up my evening

  
  


From: Ryuu

> aaaah you don't need to go out of your way to adjust your schedule for me

  
  


Chikara snorted. Ryuu could be such an idiot at times.

  
  


To: Ryuu

> Don't be silly. I want to see you

  
  


From: Ryuu

> <3

  
  


“Tanaka again?” Kinoshita asked once Chikara put his phone away.

“Yeah. He started attending cram school for some reason,” Chikara explained, returning his focus to his homework.

“He doesn't seem like the studious type,” Narita commented.

“He _isn't_ ,” Chikara confirmed. “I hope it's not because he's failing his classes or something...”

  
  


***

  
  


Ryuu's career advisor had been quite surprised by his sudden decision to switch his university of choice, but he'd referred him to a reputable cram school. Ryuu's parents had been even more surprised, but they had been happy that their son finally seemed to take his studies seriously and agreed to pay the cram school fees. The only person who didn't bat a single eyelash at Ryuu's sudden change of heart was Saeko-nee.

“The things we do for love, huh?” she teased as she watched Ryuu despair over the mock exam he had to prepare for cram school.

“Can you blame me for trying?” Ryuu grumbled, flipping through the exam guidebook to find the formula he needed.

“You're pretty serious about Chikara, aren't you?” Saeko-nee mused.

“Pretty serious?” Ryuu asked indignantly. He looked up from his books to throw a withering glance her way. “I'd do anything for him!”

Chuckling, Saeko-nee gave him a pat on the shoulder. “Good luck with that.”

  
  


***

  
  


“Oh.” Chikara almost dropped his cup of hot chocolate in surprise, tightening his grip at the last second before it spilt everywhere. “You're really trying to get into the same uni as me?”

“The emphasis is on trying,” Ryuu said, scratching the back of his neck. “The marks on my mock exams aren't quite there yet.”

Chikara put his cup down on the coffee table in front of them. His hands were shaking with excitement at the mere thought of going to uni with Ryuu. If they went to the same uni, it wouldn't be suspicious when they'd meet up in public. Maybe they could even take some classes together.

“If you ever need help with studying, you can call or text me,” Chikara offered immediately. “We could even study together if you wanted to.”

“R-really?” Ryuu asked, sounding hopeful.

“I'll try to keep my Sunday nights free from now on,” Chikara decided. He was going to make Ryuu pass these goddamn entrance exams if it was the last thing he did.

  
  


***

  
  


As it turned out, studying with Chikara was both a blessing and a nightmare. Ryuu's boyfriend was smart and able to break down complicated problems until they were manageable even for someone like Ryuu. But he was also strict and didn't allow for any distractions until they had finished reviewing all the material he'd prepared for the day.

“Can I finally get a kiss now?” Ryuu whined, pushing the last of the maths problems towards Chikara. Chikara held up a hand, indicating that Ryuu should wait until he'd checked if Ryuu's solution was correct.

“You mixed up the signs at the end there, but other than that...”

Ryuu sighed with relief and leaned over the table for his reward. Chikara chuckled and met Ryuu for a brief kiss. 

  
  


***

  
  


Chikara had never particularly liked winter. Extreme temperatures, be they hot or cold, were an annoyance. Having to bundle up in too many layers of clothing and having to take them off again as soon as you entered a building with central heating was just _the worst_. It also didn't help that Chikara's birthday was in the middle of December. Everyone else always seemed to look forward to their birthdays, but being a prince and all, birthdays meant that there would be a huge celebration in his honour, which in turn meant media attention. He had to invite every important noble family and politician. And now that it was his eighteenth birthday, a bunch of dukes and earls were desperate to introduce their daughters to him. Even if he hadn't been gay, even if he hadn't been _taken_ , he would've turned them all down. 

Chikara was his own person, and he was not going to choose a partner based on something as arbitrary as status. Just because his mother's first marriage had been to the Earl of Sawamura and just because her second husband, his father, was the Baron of Ennoshita didn't mean Chikara had to marry nobility. His parents had told him and his brother early on that they wanted them to choose their own wives.

Well, Chikara was going to choose his own husband. Not that he had gotten around to telling them yet... which was why Ryuu was not invited to Chikara's birthday. It was probably for the best, considering how much catching up Ryuu had to do so he'd be able to pass his entrance exams, but Chikara would've enjoyed his birthday a lot more with his boyfriend there. 

“What's so interesting about your phone that you are ignoring all these lovely ladies that are waiting to dance with you?” Daichi-nii-san asked, handing Chikara a champagne flute that was clearly filled with soda instead of champagne. Sighing, Chikara put his phone away again. 

“Just chatting with a friend.” It wasn't necessarily a lie. Ryuu was his friend, after all.

“Most of your classmates are in attendance,” Daichi-nii-san noted, sipping at his own soda. “So... Someone you met outside of school? Maybe it's the person you rearranged your schedule for?”

“Er...” Chikara didn't like the smirk on his older brother's face. He downed his soda in a couple of large gulps and shoved the flute back into Daichi-nii-san's hands. “As you said, there are a bunch of lovely ladies that want to dance with me, so I must be off...”

  
  


***

  
  


“You bought me a gift.” Chikara blinked down at the haphazardly wrapped present Ryuu had shoved into his hands as soon as he'd entered the flat.

“I mean, it's probably nowhere near as good as what your family or your other friends gave you,” Ryuu mumbled, embarrassment colouring his voice. He didn't really know what an appropriate gift for a prince looked like, but not giving his boyfriend a birthday present was unthinkable. 

Chikara didn't say anything, he just ripped open the paper to reveal a green scarf that Ryuu had bought off of one of the girls in his school's knitting club.

“I didn't... I didn't make it myself, but it's one of a kind,” Ryuu rambled on as he watched Chikara wrap the scarf around his neck. The green colour went really well with his dark brown eyes.

“It's warm. I love it.” Chikara smiled and gave Ryuu a peck on the cheek. “Thank you.”

“I'm glad you like it,” Ryuu replied and leaned in to kiss his boyfriend properly. Chikara reciprocated eagerly, bringing one hand up to cup Ryuu's face. They could've stayed like this for ages, exchanging sweet kisses until their lips were chapped, but Saeko-nee chose that moment to enter the living room.

“I thought you guys wanted to study,” she reminded them dryly. Ryuu groaned and flipped her off, but the damage was already done. 

“Come on, your sister's right,” Chikara said as he stepped back.

  
  


***

  
  


And suddenly, it was time for the entrance exams. Chikara wasn't too worried about his own. He'd always been a good student, and he was guaranteed admission to the Royal University of Karasuno anyway. The only reason why he'd diligently prepared for the exams was that he hated the thought of not getting in on his own merits. And so he waited in front of the city hall along with all the other students who wanted to attend Karasuno's most prestigious university.

“Have you guys seen Ryuu anywhere?” Chikara asked his friends.

“There was a group of students from his school that walked past us earlier,” Kinoshita said. “Maybe he was with them.”

“I thought you already wished each other good luck yesterday,” Narita commented with a smirk. 

Chikara sighed. “We did. I'd still like to see him, though.”

Suddenly, he heard his phone chime inside his bag. “Damn, I need to turn it off before the exam,” he muttered as he pulled it out, but then he saw Ryuu's name flash across his screen.

  
  


From: Ryuu

> turn around ;)

  
  


Chikara followed the command and saw his boyfriend standing on the other side of the road, giving him a thumbs up. Grinning, Chikara reciprocated the gesture. 

  
  


***

  
  


Ryuu's hands were sweaty as he made his way to the notice board of his school. He thought he did well enough in the exam, but there had been questions that had made him take wild guesses. If he'd been trying to get into any other university, Ryuu wouldn't have been worried at all.

A crowd had already gathered around the board where the results had been posted. Ryuu had to be careful not to step on anyone's toes as he tried to take a look at the list. The first thing he noticed was the large number of people who had failed. It made his guts twist uncomfortably as he skimmed the list for his name. And then, there it was.

_ Tanaka Ryuunosuke: 81% / A / accepted _

Ryuu immediately shoved his way back out of the crowd and ran to the shoe lockers. He already had his phone in hand as he changed into his outside shoes, and by the time he'd found a deserted corner of the school grounds, Chikara had picked up the call.

“I passed!” Ryuu said without even a greeting. “Eighty-one percent. I'm going to the same university as you!”

Static flared up on the other end of the line as Chikara heaved a sigh of relief.

“I'm glad. Congratulations, Ryuu.”

 


	5. Frustration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there are reasons to celebrate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: Fantasy – Blue – First  
> This is the only chapter that has any form of sexual content. You won't miss out on the plot if you skip the part that's bracketed by +++ and --- (use the search function of your browser when you see +++ and search for ---). Everything else is rated T.

Chikara quickly got used to life as a university student. He and Ryuu had different majors, so they only had one lecture together, but they had plenty of free periods to have lunch together and hang out. Now that they saw each other almost daily, Chikara's feelings for Ryuu only grew stronger. A life without Ryuu by his side was unimaginable. Sometimes when they were eating at the cafeteria, Chikara would catch himself staring at Ryuu, admiring the sharp lines of his face and the way he licked his lips after taking a sip of water. Usually, Kazuhito or Hisashi would snap him out of it with a swift kick in the shin.

And therein lay Chikara's current predicament. He and Ryuu had no privacy.

When Chikara had still been in high school, he'd never quite appreciated how much freedom he'd had. Living in the dorms, nobody had ever wanted to know where he was going and what he was doing. But now that he was a university student, he was back to living in the palace where he was constantly under someone's supervision. His parents and brother were too busy to care that he didn't come straight home after his lectures had ended, but he always had to inform the kitchen staff when he would be late for dinner or eat outside, and if it wasn't for the fact that Kazuhito had started training to become his bodyguard, Chikara probably wouldn't have been allowed to walk around without supervision in the evenings.

It wasn't much better at university. A couple months into his first semester, the novelty of going to the same university as the prince hadn't worn off yet for most people. There was barely a moment when Chikara and his friends weren't looked at and talked about. Even something as simple as looking at Ryuu the wrong way could lead to unwanted rumours.

The only places where Chikara and Ryuu could act like a proper couple were the flat Kazuhito and Hisashi shared, and Ryuu's home. And even there, they didn't actually have privacy. It wasn't like they could just make out in front of their friends or Ryuu's sister, let alone have sex.

Chikara was a very gay eighteen-year-old guy, who was very much in love with his very hot boyfriend. He had _urges_.

So who could really blame him for spending most of a council meeting off in dreamland? He imagined pinning Ryuu to a wall and kissing him senseless, slowly working his way down Ryuu's bare chest until Chikara's boyfriend was a shivering mess. And then he'd shove down Ryuu's trousers, and–

“What are your thoughts on this, Your Highness?” Minister Narita asked, ripping Chikara from his fantasy. “Would you agree to this deal?”

“I mean... er...” Chikara stole a quick glance to the side, where his brother gave the tiniest nod. “Yes?”

“Then we can move forward with this trade agreement,” Minister Narita said. Chikara suppressed a sigh of relief. Next to him, Daichi-nii-san scribbled something on the corner of a transcript of last weeks meeting and passed it along to Chikara.

_Stop daydreaming. The next item on the agenda is your marriage equality proposal._

Chikara picked up a pen, wrote _It won't happen again_ , and passed the piece of paper back to his brother.

 

***

 

Keeping up with the other business majors at the Royal University of Karasuno was quite tough, but Ryuu had never been one to back down from a challenge. He did his best to take notes and be attentive in class. For the most part, this worked quite well, but there was one lecture that was taught by a professor who, without fail, managed to make Ryuu space out after ten minutes of listening to his droning voice. Thankfully, it was the History of Economics lecture he attended with Chikara, so he could have Chikara teach him afterwards.

“... and then Minister Narita finally agreed to vote for my marriage equality law, as long as Nii-san and I will back his education reform,” Chikara explained as they sat down in their usual seats at the back of the lecture hall. “So once we have that education reform figured out, there'll be another vote on marriage equality.”

“Nice!” Ryuu was tempted to kiss Chikara, but there were already too many other students entering the room, so he settled for giving him a pat on the back. “I never thought that Narita's dad would be this stubborn, but I'm glad he's coming around.”

Chikara sighed and got out his pen and notebook. “It's about time really. It's been a year since I made this proposal.”

“We'll have to celebrate once the law is passed,” Ryuu mused. “We could go out for dinner or something...”

“Hmm, sounds nice,” Chikara agreed, but then the professor called everyone to order and started the lecture. And true to form, the professor spoke in a monotone that made Ryuu struggle to keep his eyes open.

In an attempt to at least stay awake, Ryuu turned to look at his boyfriend. Chikara's facial features had always struck Ryuu as pretty, but over the last year, Chikara had become downright regal. Part of it was that his jawline and cheekbones had become more defined as puberty had continued to work its magic, but most importantly of all, there had been a change in Chikara's posture. When he and Ryuu had met, Chikara had tried so hard to disappear into the background, he'd slumped his shoulders and kept his head down. Now, however, he sat up straight and confident. Chikara had accepted his positions as his brother's advisor and member of the elder council, and it showed. His newly gained confidence was, quite frankly, the sexiest thing ever.

Oh, how Ryuu longed to be closer to his boyfriend! Ryuu wanted to touch him, to admire his body and worship it with his hands and mouth. And afterwards, Chikara would surely return the favour. And maybe one day, they could move on from just using their hands and mouths.

But sadly, all of those fantasies were just that – fantasy. Ryuu had barely managed to sneak a hand below Chikara's shirt last week. Doing anything more, though? No chance. Not with Saeko-nee sitting in the next room. The walls were just too thin, and Ryuu did not want to subject himself to the relentless teasing that would come with being overheard by his sister. For the time being, Ryuu had to learn how to live with the bluest balls imaginable. Daydreaming about sex during a lecture was not going to help, so Ryuu tore his eyes away from his boyfriend, and at least tried to listen to what the prof had to say.

He fell asleep in a matter of minutes.

 

***

 

“Fifteen votes were cast in favour of the amendment to the marriage laws. Fourteen votes were cast against the amendment,” Chikara's mother read out loud from the screen in front of her. “The amendment will thus be added to the law code of Karasuno.”

After having been stuck in a constant cycle of vetoes and overturned vetoes for an entire year, Chikara had to make a conscious effort to keep his facial expression as neutral as possible, although he was sorely tempted to rub his victory in the face of all the council members that had opposed him. Smug behaviour like that was unbecoming of a prince.

Next to him, Daichi-nii-san leant in close to his ear and whispered, “I'm proud of you.”

“If you and mum hadn't had my back, I would've failed spectacularly,” Chikara replied out of the corner of his mouth, but before he could properly thank his brother, the queen was already calling the council to order again.

“As for the matter of the announcement of our decision...” She paused, her eyes seeking out Chikara's. “Since this was my youngest son's first proposal in the elder council, I think it is only fitting for him to be the one to inform the public. Are there any objections to this?”

Chikara had _all_ the objections, but there was no way he could voice any of them, not with the way his mother was looking at him, and not with the rest of the council murmuring their assent.

“It is settled then. Prince Chikara will lead the press conference tonight. Since there are no more items on today's agenda, this meeting is adjourned.”

As everyone packed up their things, the queen waved her sons over to her.

“Daichi, please help Chikara with writing his speech,” she said. “And Chikara, you should probably leave the other preparations to Hisashi-kun. His mentor will be informed as well, so neither of you have to worry about doing any of this on your own yet.”

“Thanks,” Chikara choked out. “I'll, uh, try my best.”

The pat on the back he received from Daichi-nii-san did nothing to ease his nerves.

 

***

 

From: My Prince

> You should probably watch the council press conference tonight

 

Chikara's message could only mean one thing, and yet, Ryuu found himself sitting in front of the TV, waiting with bated breath for the press conference to start. Their one-year anniversary was coming up and if this conference was about what Ryuu thought it would be, they would have double the reason to celebrate.

Finally, Chikara stepped up to the podium.

“Today is a historic day for Karasuno's LGBT community,” Chikara said into the microphone. His shoulders looked stiff, and his words were slightly stilted, but who could blame him? Giving a speech in front of the entire kingdom must've been nerve-wracking. Ryuu knew how much his boyfriend hated being the centre of attention, and at the moment, dozens of cameras were being pointed at him.

“Since our beautiful kingdom was founded, gay marriage has been forbidden by law. This changes today. It is my pleasure to announce that, in a vote of fifteen to fourteen, the council of elders has decided to amend Karasuno's law code. As of tomorrow, couples in same-sex relationships will be able to register their partnerships in the same way heterosexual couples have been doing for centuries. The royal family and the elder council will keep on working together to achieve equality for all of our citizens, one step at a time.” Chikara took a deep breath and squared his shoulder. “You may now address questions to the council of elders.”

There was a bit of shuffling around as the camera zoomed out to show the five members that had been chosen to represent the council at the conference.

“I'm Kishi for Capital Press. This question is addressed to His Highness Prince Chikara. From what I've read in the council transcripts, this amendment was your idea, Your Highness. What prompted you to propose such a law?” one of the reporters asked from the crowd.

Chikara, who had just sat down at the table, awkwardly adjusted the mic in front of him. “Er, I personally think that discrimination of the LGBT community goes against the values of our country.”

There was another short moment of silence until the next reporter addressed a question to Chikara.

“Is there anything you want to tell the members of the LGBT community here in Karasuno, Your Highness?”

“Well, I know that this decision was opposed by almost half of the elder council. We obviously still have a long way to go when it comes to LGBT acceptance in Karasuno, but the LGBT community should know that the royal family is on their side.”

Ryuu was impressed with Chikara's quick thinking. He himself wouldn't have known how to respond to questions like this. He continued watching, but he barely even registered what the other members of the elder council had to say as they were questioned by the press. He was just so proud of his boyfriend, his _prince_ , for achieving this. He'd been fighting for this for so long, and finally, all his efforts had come to fruition.

After the press conference, Ryuu's phone vibrated in his pocket. Expecting it to be his boyfriend, Ryuu picked up the call without even looking at the screen.

“Hey!” he said cheerfully. “That was one hell of a press conference.”

“Yeah, it was quite tough to organise,” someone who clearly wasn't Chikara replied.

“Kinoshita?”

“The one and only. You should probably check the caller ID before picking up your phone, Tanaka.” Ryuu could practically hear how Kinoshita rolled his eyes at him.

“Why are you calling?”

“I think a celebration is in order, and I know just the thing...”

 

***

 

Sitting in a secluded corner of _Sakanoshita Inn_ 's restaurant with his boyfriend, Chikara couldn't have felt happier. Hisashi had actually managed to arrange his schedule to allow Chikara and Ryuu to spend the evening of their anniversary together.

“And here I thought I'd finally gotten rid of you, Your Highness,” Ukai-san said sarcastically as he put down their drinks.

“Well, you didn't rat me out last year, so I'm pretty sure you will keep your mouth shut about this as well, Ukai-san,” Chikara said, throwing a happy smile in Ryuu's direction.

“I do not want to have anything to do with scandals, thank you very much,” Ukai-san assured grumpily before he turned around to leave their table again. “Your food will be ready shortly.”

“So this is where you stayed during your runaway stunt?” Ryuu asked, lifting an eyebrow. “I imagined something a little more... fancy.”

“That's exactly why I chose this place,” Chikara admitted with a grin. “Would you expect to find a prince here?”

“Nope.” Ryuu chuckled and lifted his glass. “Well, here's to one year of us being together.”

“And to many more years,” Chikara added, clinking his glass against Ryuu's. They sat and reminisced about how they'd first met and the start of their relationship until Ukai-san brought their food.

Chikara enjoyed himself thoroughly, especially since Ryuu had decided to dress up. He really cleaned up nicely. Chikara knew absolutely nothing about fashion, mostly relying on other people's help when choosing outfits, but even he could see that Ryuu had impeccable taste in clothing. His shirt had a nice dark blue colour that went really well with his skin tone and eyes, and the way he'd left the top buttons undone, revealing just a hint of collarbone, made Chikara's mouth water even more than the delicious food.

When Ukai-san came to clear away their empty plates, he put down a key alongside the bill.

“It's the same room as back then. Have a nice stay,” he said and left before Chikara could ask him what that was supposed to mean. Confusedly, he looked up at Ryuu who was blushing harder than ever.

“You... reserved us a room?” Chikara asked incredulously once he'd made sense of what had just happened.

“Technically, Kinoshita reserved the room,” Ryuu mumbled, sheepishly scratching the back of his head.

“Don't take this the wrong way, but... You know that I have to be back at the palace tonight, right?” Chikara asked, hating that he would have to turn down this opportunity to spend the night with his boyfriend.

“Kinoshita and Narita are taking care of that,” Ryuu assured him. “They said they'd tell everyone that you'd be staying at their flat tonight. Narita is also monitoring the inn, just in case someone discovers us. So if we need to get out of here fast, he's ready.” Ryuu took a shaky breath. “We don't have to do anything, but... I thought it would be nice to have some privacy for once.”

Chikara had a quick look around the room, making sure that there were no curious bystanders around, and leaned over the table to press a short kiss against Ryuu's lips. He got out his wallet, pulled out more than enough money to cover the bill and grabbed the key. He'd never been more grateful for having best friends like Kazuhito and Hisashi.

 

+++

 

Cloud Nine was a nice place to spend the night. Ryuu felt light as a feather in the arms of his boyfriend. Chikara was a fantastic kisser, gentle yet demanding, and he'd definitely been holding out on Ryuu over the last year.

“When did you get so good at this?” Ryuu asked when their lips parted.

“I had a lot of time to daydream about kissing you senseless.” Chikara chuckled and let his lips trail over Ryuu's neck. Ryuu gasped at the sensation and slipped a hand below Chikara's shirt in a desperate attempt to feel more of his boyfriend's skin. To his disappointment, Chikara was wearing an undershirt.

“You're wearing too many clothes,” Ryuu complained. He himself had lost his shirt before they had even made it onto the bed. Shirts were overrated anyway.

Chikara didn't even bother undoing all his buttons, pulling the shirt and undershirt over his head as soon as possible. The sight of his shirtless boyfriend made Ryuu feel hot all over.

“Better?” Chikara asked, smirking down at Ryuu who wasted no time and pulled him into another desperate kiss.

They were completely wrapped up in each other when Chikara slipped a knee between Ryuu's legs. The sensation of Chikara's thigh pressed against his half-hard cock had Ryuu moaning.

“Is this alright?” Chikara asked, eyes blown wide and cheeks flushed pink.

“More than alright,” Ryuu gasped. “Should we maybe take off our pants?”

Chikara nodded and climbed off of Ryuu.

“I wish I'd worn more flattering pants today,” Chikara sighed as he pulled down his trousers, revealing orange boxer shorts with a crow pattern on them.

“Oh my god, where did you find these?” Ryuu laughed breathlessly as he kicked his own trousers off the bed.

“Hisashi and Kazuhito thought they'd make for a good present for my eighteenth birthday,” Chikara explained with a shrug. “They also got me some with hearts on them, but I try to avoid wearing those...”

“And I was worried you wouldn't like the scarf,” Ryuu snorted and crawled forward in the bed until he could reach Chikara's waist. “Mind if I take these off?”

The blush on Chikara's face grew more pronounced as he nodded. Ryuu's heart was hammering against his ribs as he slid his fingers below the waistband, pulling until Chikara's dick was freed.

“Goddamnit, this is embarrassing,” Chikara muttered. Ryuu looked up at him, flashing a grin.

“If it's of any consolation to you... Yours is bigger.”

Chikara groaned and crawled back onto the bed.

“Oh shut it,” he growled, but there was no real bite to his words. “How are we going to do this?”

“I was thinking blowjobs,” Ryuu said throwing his own underwear aside. “But I'm up for pretty much anything.”

Without a moment of hesitation, Chikara grabbed Ryuu's shoulder to turn him around on his back.

“You don't know how long I've been waiting to do this,” he said and started pressing countless short kisses onto Ryuu's neck and chest, slowly working his way down. Ryuu loved every second of it. He had goosebumps all over, and by the time Chikara was placing kisses on his hip bones, Ryuu was a shuddering mess.

“So... A blowjob?” Chikara asked, his breath tickling the inside of Ryuu's thigh.

“Yes, but only if you wanna do it,” Ryuu replied, torn between hoping that Chikara wouldn't leave him hanging and not wanting to pressure him.

“As I said, I've been dreaming about this for months.”

And without further warning, Chikara's lips were wrapped around Ryuu's erection.

“Holy fuck, I'm not going to last long,” Ryuu mumbled, involuntarily bucking his hips. Chikara immediately pulled off again.

“Behave,” he gasped, grabbing Ryuu's hips and holding them down.

“I didn't mean to–” Ryuu tried to apologise, but was cut off when Chikara licked along the underside of his cock. Ryuu could barely hold back his moans. Chikara struggled to even fit half of Ryuu's length inside of his mouth, but Ryuu didn't care in the slightest. The warmth and wetness combined with the visuals of Chikara kneeling between his legs was pushing Ryuu closer and closer to complete ecstasy.

“You should probably... stop soon if you don't want me to...” Ryuu gasped as Chikara pulled away and replaced his mouth with his hands. Just a couple more strokes and orgasm washed over Ryuu like a gigantic wave, making him gasp and curl his fingers into the sheets.

“Was that alright?” Chikara asked, but Ryuu was beyond words. He just nodded before he slumped back against the pillows.

“Amazing,” he muttered as Chikara grabbed some tissues from the bedside table to wipe his hands.

“Amazing enough that I get a blowjob in return?” Chikara asked, quirking an eyebrow.

“Give me a second.” Ryuu sat up eagerly, all lethargy suddenly replaced with excitement. “And you should probably lie down.”

Having rearranged their positions on the bed, Ryuu leant over Chikara and kissed him while slowly letting a hand slide over Chikara's torso until he could feel the trail of coarse hair below his navel.

Chikara whined impatiently and grabbed Ryuu's hand, directing it further down. Ryuu was surprised to feel just how wet the tip of Chikara's dick was.

“Did you get like this just from blowing me?” Ryuu asked incredulously, smearing around the precum with his thumb.

“It was nice watching you squirm,” Chikara admitted breathlessly. “But you said you were going to return the favour?”

Ryuu laughed.

“Impatient, are we?” he asked but didn't give Chikara any time to answer before leaning down to slide his lips along the underside of Chikara's erection. The choked moan he received in return was music to Ryuu's ears. Taking a leaf out of Chikara's book, Ryuu took hold of Chikara's hips, just in case, and took Chikara's cock in his mouth. It tasted kinda salty and bitter, but it wasn't too bad. The way Chikara looked down at him, mouth hanging slightly open and pupils dilated, certainly made up for any unpleasant taste on Ryuu's tongue.

As Ryuu started bobbing his head up and down, occasionally stopping to swirl his tongue around the tip of Chikara's dick, he quickly understood why Chikara had been so affected. Seeing, hearing and feeling his boyfriend's reactions was almost as intoxicating to Ryuu as receiving head had been. Knowing that he was giving Chikara pleasure, Ryuu doubled his efforts, wrapping a hand around the base of Chikara's cock to cover the parts Ryuu couldn't fit inside his mouth.

“Ryuu, I'm gonna–”

Ryuu quickly pulled off, continuing to jerk Chikara off with his hand until Chikara climaxed with Ryuu's name on his lips.

“Damn, that was... wow,” Chikara sighed while Ryuu cleaned off his hand.

“We should probably shower,” Ryuu said, noticing how his own cum was starting to dry on his belly and chest.

“Give me a couple minutes, I can't feel my legs right now.”

Ryuu laughed and leaned in to place a tender kiss on Chikara's forehead. “No worries. The shower isn't going to run away from us.”

 

\---

 

Waking up, Chikara noticed the warm body of his boyfriend pressed snugly against his chest, instantly reminding him of what had happened last night. Sighing comfortably, Chikara tightened his embrace on Ryuu's body. In response, Ryuu turned his head and blinked at Chikara sleepily.

“G'morning,” Ryuu mumbled.

“Good morning,” Chikara rasped, nuzzling Ryuu's neck.

Their first night together had been passionate and ecstatic, but their first morning was soft and warm. Chikara would remember them both fondly for many years to come.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly couldn't resist combining these prompts into what happens in this chapter. One day I will write EnnoTana smut that is not first-time smut lmao


	6. Unexpected revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Tanaka is introduced to Ennoshita's family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: ~~Sci-fi~~ – Purple – Adulthood  
>  (sci-fi was literally the only prompt that I couldn't manage to put in this fic lol)

It wasn't the first time that Ryuu had entered the royal palace. Having gone to the same university and sharing one or two classes with the prince had been enough for people not to question his friendship with Chikara. Accordingly, Ryuu had been invited to his boyfriend's birthday parties and other celebrations. Twice over the last four years, Chikara had even managed to sneak Ryuu into his room after such an occasion. But as fondly as Ryuu remembered the other times he'd set foot inside the home of the royal family, today was different.

Their fifth anniversary was coming up next week. Ryuu could barely believe that he'd managed to keep the most important relationship in his entire life secret from the majority of his friends and family. And from the public in general. If it hadn't been for Kinoshita and Narita playing along and protecting them, they might not have made it through university without having to navigate a huge media scandal.

“My parents and brother are already waiting for us in the small dining room,” Chikara said once he'd managed to talk the security guards into letting Ryuu pass without further inspection.

“They don't know I'm a guy, do they?” Ryuu asked, his stomach churning uncomfortably.

“I... I only told them that I'd be introducing my partner,” Chikara said haltingly. “But I think they've been suspecting that I'm gay since I started pushing for marriage equality.”

“The things I do for you...” Ryuu sighed, shoving his hands into the pockets of his trousers. “Let's get this over with then.”

“You know that my feelings for you won't change, even if they react badly, right?” Chikara asked, fiddling with his cufflinks.

“Of course.” Ryuu attempted a smile, but his facial muscles weren't obeying him properly. “We would've never lasted this long if I didn't trust your feelings.”

It hadn't always been easy. Being closeted had managed to put them in uncomfortable positions more than once, and it had put a strain on their relationship. But Ryuu understood fully well why it had been necessary. They'd been students, and there was no way Ryuu could've completed university with paparazzi and nosy classmates following him around at all times.

Now, however, they were adults. Ryuu had started managing the business side of Saeko-nee's flower shop, enabling her to focus on the thing she was actually good at – flower arrangements. If necessary, he could just hide away in his home office until the media buzz died down. Hell, he could probably even use his connection to the royal family for marketing purposes if he really wanted to. He didn't, though. To him, Chikara wasn't just a prince. Chikara was the love of his life, the one person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. Ryuu wasn't going to use him as a cheap marketing trick.

And so Ryuu followed Chikara down hallways and up numerous staircases that were all lined with purple carpet until they reached the “small” dining room. It was as big as the flat Ryuu shared with his sister. But Ryuu didn't really have time to ogle the splendour that was the interior design of the royal palace. He was too busy trying to guess what the expressions on the faces of Chikara's family meant.

Prince Daichi's grin was the easiest to figure out. Ryuu had seen that exact same expression on his own sister's face too many times not to know that Chikara was about to be mercilessly teased. Queen Chiyoko and her husband Baron Hideaki were another matter, though. They might as well have been wearing masks.

“Well,” Chikara said, a nervous edge to his voice that Ryuu hadn't heard in quite some time, “this is Tanaka Ryuunosuke. My boyfriend of almost five years.”

 

***

 

For most of his life, Chikara had been running away from responsibility. He'd talked his way out of having to speak at charity dinners and hid in the shadow of his older brother whenever possible. Eventually, he had actually run away, meeting the love of his life in the process.

Ryuu had changed Chikara's life, had given him something to hold on to when the burden of his duties was threatening to crash down on him. Ryuu was confrontational and competitive but also sweet and caring, and he deserved better than to be treated like Chikara's dirty little secret. They were adults now, and Chikara had finally exhausted all his reasons for hiding his relationship. There was no more school work to be disrupted, and after almost five years, Chikara was certain that their relationship was strong enough to overcome even the hardest of obstacles.

Despite that certainty, Chikara felt incredibly small under the gaze of his parents and brother. Daichi-nii-san's grin was highly unsettling, and Chikara's mother and father had those looks on their faces that they usually reserved for particularly unpleasant press conferences.

“I-it is an honour to meet you, Y-your Majesty,” Ryuu stuttered, bowing deeply with his right hand on his heart, as was customary in front of the monarch.

“The pleasure is ours,” Chikara's mother said, and for the first time since they had entered the room, Chikara noticed a crack in her facade as she rubbed her temples as if to ward off a headache.

“We should've seen this coming, huh?” Chikara's father sighed, slumping back in his chair.

“It was pretty obvious if you ask me,” Daichi-nii-san said, the shit-eating grin never leaving his face. “Why don't you sit down with us, Tanaka-kun?”

Ryuu sought eye-contact with Chikara as they sat down across from Chikara's family, looking for reassurance. Not knowing what else to do, Chikara put a hand on his boyfriend's knee under the table.

“So... five years,” the queen repeated, looking straight at Chikara. “I suspect Kinoshita-kun and Narita-kun have something to do with you being able to keep this from me and your father?”

“I mean... They are my friends,” Chikara said, hoping that he wasn't getting Hisashi and Kazuhito in trouble with this. “You always told me that I should choose friends who would have my back at all times, and that's exactly what they did.”

Chikara's mother took off her purple-rimmed glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose between her fingers. The gesture made Chikara's intestines feel like they had been exchanged for snakes that were now slithering around in his stomach.

“I did not raise you to keep secrets from your family,” Chikara's mother pressed out between clenched teeth. “What if this had been discovered by some nosy journalists? Do you even realise how hard it is to deal with a social media shit storm without prior planning? Just because we managed to change the marriage law doesn't mean people will be okay with a gay prince!”

Chikara was stunned. Out of all possible reactions to his coming out, this wasn't the one he'd expected.

“This is what you're mad about?” he asked, just to make sure he wasn't misunderstanding. “That I didn't give you the opportunity to prepare for my relationship being revealed to the public? You don't care about the... the gay part?”

Again, Chikara didn't get the reaction he had anticipated as his father started laughing humourlessly. “Your mother would've never married Sawamura or me if she'd been worried about 'the gay part'. Right, my love?”

 _What is even going on anymore?_ Chikara thought, turning to Ryuu who just shrugged helplessly.

“What's this about my father?” Daichi-nii-san asked, the grin suddenly replaced by a confused frown.

Their mother suddenly looked very tired as she turned to look at her second husband. “You brought it up, so you tell them.”

“I can trust that you can keep a secret, Tanaka-kun?” Chikara's father addressed Ryuu for the first time. Ryuu looked like a deer in headlights.

“Yes?” he squeaked, his voice shooting up an octave. Chikara gently patted his knee in a fruitless attempt to calm his boyfriend down. Not that Chikara had even a shred of calm left inside himself.

“Well,” Chikara's father sighed wistfully, “Chiyoko, Sawamura and I...” He paused again, carefully considering his words. “I wasn't just their best friend before Sawamura's death. All three of us were very much in love with each other.”

“Holy shit,” Ryuu muttered and then immediately slapped a hand in front of his mouth when he realised that he'd said that out loud. Chikara couldn't blame him, because he was thinking the exact same thing.

From what Chikara had been told, Daichi-nii-san's father had been well liked by the public, and his sudden death shortly before the birth of his son was considered a tragedy. That the queen would turn to the man she and her late husband had considered to be their best friend for comfort had been treated like an inevitability by everyone. That they had already been involved with each other beforehand, though, was completely new to Chikara. It did, however, explain why his parents had supported his endeavours to ensure equality for the LGBT community in Karasuno.

“So you... and my father...” Daichi-nii-san was struggling to find words.

“I loved him as much as I love your mother,” Chikara's father said, smiling sadly. “The feelings were mutual.”

“Why didn't you tell me?” Daichi-nii-san demanded.

“Because it's hard to explain, isn't it?” the queen replied. “We've been meaning to tell you for years now, but we've been putting it off. It never felt like the right time.”

Chikara knew the feeling all too well.

“This is _my father_ we're talking about here,” Daichi-nii-san growled. Chikara was glad that his brother's ire was currently directed at their parents and not him. Daichi-nii-san was scary when he was mad. “I think I have a right to know about things like this!”

“We didn't want to hurt you, Daichi...” Chikara's father started, but was interrupted by his stepson.

“I'm not hurt! I'm just mad that you wouldn't tell me about this until now! You treated me like I was your own son, so I treated you like my father. I trusted you, and I thought this bond went both ways–” He stopped in his tracks as someone knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

A servant entered the room, bowing deeply.

“Dinner is ready to be served, Your Majesty,” she said nervously, obviously aware of the tense atmosphere in the room.

The queen sighed. “I guess we might as well discuss this while we eat.”

 

***

 

“This is kinda surreal,” Chikara said once his family had left the room after dinner.

“That's the understatement of the century,” Ryuu muttered, slumping in his chair. He'd just borne witness to the queen and her husband admitting to a polyamorous relationship with the queen's first husband. Even if he'd wanted to rat them out to the press, nobody would've believed Ryuu.

“At least they don't mind _this_ ,” Chikara sighed, leaning his head on Ryuu's shoulder. Ryuu immediately wrapped an arm around his boyfriend's waist.

Ryuu's introduction had been clearly overshadowed by the family drama that had unfolded before them. It had taken a while for Prince Daichi to calm down, even over dinner, but Ryuu wasn't going to complain. Chikara's parents didn't care that Ryuu was a man and a commoner. They accepted him by their son's side and would have their backs once Chikara and Ryuu decided that it was time to go public with their relationship.

“Yeah. I'm glad,” Ryuu said, pressing a kiss to his boyfriend's temple.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly tho, I know I went way overboard with coming up with a backstory that explains why Daichi and Chikara are half-brothers, but I just had to do it. Once my brain went there, there was no stopping anymore lmao


	7. Royal wedding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which they get married

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: Alternate universe (Since this is already an AU I just decided that I can make them get married lol)

This royal wedding was a historical event, and it had been planned accordingly. The schedule was detailed down to the minute. The guest list had been fine-tuned to include members from all parts of society and important foreign diplomats and royalty. The food was going to be prepared by the finest chefs in the country.

Only the flower arrangements had been left up to an unknown florist with her own small shop in the outer districts of Karasuno City. 

Well, at least Saeko had been the one to design them. She had insisted on doing this. Her baby brother was only going to get married to a prince once, and there was no way in hell she would let anyone else oversee the decorations at his wedding. But she and her two assistants would've never been able to do all of the work alone, so the crown had arranged for outside help.

“I feel incredibly silly,” Ryuu complained, fiddling with the collar of his full dress uniform. “Why couldn't they let me wear a normal suit?”

“Because this is not a normal wedding,” Saeko reminded him, slapping his hands away from the collar and fixing it for him. “You're not getting cold feet, are you?”

“I've never wanted anything more than to marry Chikara,” Ryuu assured her. “But this uniform is not my style.”

Saeko laughed. Only her brother would complain about getting to wear the same garb as the highest ranking military officials in the country because he thought the uniform wasn't stylish enough.

“We've got to get going,” Saeko said as she stepped back from her little brother who wasn't quite so little anymore. “Hisashi-kun is going to skin us alive if we mess up his schedule.”

  
  


***

  
  


Daichi had never seen Chikara this uncaring about the TV cameras that were being pointed at him as he was in the moment that his husband-to-be walked down the aisle, followed by Chikara's future sister-in-law. Only Ryuunosuke was able to put such a carefree smile on the face of the queen's second son.

“I'm the luckiest man in the world,” Chikara muttered under his breath so that only Daichi, who was standing right next to him, could hear. Daichi had to suppress a snort. It had taken him weeks to convince his half-brother of the necessity of a public wedding ceremony and celebration, but now it seemed like Chikara was perfectly happy with it. 

Admittedly, Chikara's reservations had been somewhat justified by the storm of media attention that had followed the announcement of his engagement. Most of the reactions had been positive, but the negative ones had been particularly vicious.

In the end, Daichi had convinced Chikara by telling him how important this wedding was going to be for the cause Chikara had been fighting for since his last year at high school. 

And here Chikara was, smiling like an idiot as Ryuunosuke came to stand beside him.

Daichi was proud to call Chikara his advisor and brother, and he was even prouder to have the honour to bear witness to the happiest moment in Chikara's life.

  
  


***

  
  


Chikara and Ryuu were both slightly tipsy and very much exhausted by the time they stumbled through the doors of what was going to be their shared quarters from now on. Celebrations had lasted well into the night without a moment of reprieve for either of them.

“Can you help me get out of this sash?” Chikara asked, struggling to find the clasp that fixed it to his full dress uniform.

“Er, you should've probably asked Kinoshita or Narita to do that for you before you dismissed them for the night,” Ryuu muttered, trying to figure out how to open the clasp and secretly being relieved that he hadn't had to wear one on top of his uniform. 

“I'm never going to wear this shit again!” Chikara exclaimed once he and Ryuu had managed to remove the sash with their combined efforts, enabling him to take off his jacket. 

“Sorry to disappoint you, but you'll have to once your mother steps down,” Ryuu reminded his husband with a smirk. “You can't get away with not wearing full dress at your brother's coronation.”

“I'll just... not think about that until we get to it,” Chikara said, throwing his jacket in the general direction of the sofa and missing it, almost knocking over a potted plant on the side table. Ryuu immediately went to look if the plant was okay and was struck by a sudden sense of déjà vu. 

A small succulent plant with red-tipped leaves was sitting in a very familiar clay pot. But it couldn't possibly be the plant Chikara had bought when they'd first met. That one should've been a lot bigger at this point.

“What happened to that 'blushing beauty' plant?” Ryuu asked, picking up Chikara's jacket and putting it on the sofa.

“It's on my desk,” Chikara replied, still peeling off the layers of clothing he'd worn all day. “I've been propagating them for fun now and the– _oof_!”

Ryuu wrapped his arms around his husband with the intent of never letting go of him. Dating a prince hadn't always been easy, but Ryuu had never loved anyone more than his Prince Ennoshita Chikara III of Karasuno.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this is the end! I hope you all had a lovely EnnoTana Week 2018 :)

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on [Tumblr](http://gilrael.tumblr.com), [Pillowfort](https://pillowfort.social/Gilrael) and [myWriteClub](https://www.mywriteclub.com/beta/writers/Gilrael) if you want to keep up with my writing :) Also make sure to check out the [EnnoTana Week blog](https://ennotana-week.tumblr.com/) for more of that sweet EnnoTana content!


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